Former Lebanese Cabinet Minister Youssef Salameh: Lebanon No Longer Has An Active State – We Need A Direct American Mandate; We Should Be Brave Enough To Sign A Peace Deal With Israel

Youssef Salameh, former Lebanese cabinet minister, said in an October 21, 2025 interview with Transparency News on YouTube that the Lebanese should be brave enough to sign a peace accord with Israel, stating that anything less than that would be meaningless. He added that Lebanon had always been a pioneer in the region and should not wait for Syria, Saudi Arabia, or other Arab countries to move first. Salameh said that there was no longer any active Lebanese state and argued that Lebanon needed a “direct American mandate” – there was no point in dealing with other organizations or entities because America was the strongest power and would be the source of authority, so they should be dealt with directly.

Youssef Salameh: “Anything other than signing a peace accord [with Israel] would be meaningless. We should be brave enough to sign such an agreement.

“We don’t have to wait for Al-Sharaa. We don’t need to wait for Syria and all the Arab countries to sign it, and for Israel to open a consulate in Mecca, before we sign [peace with Israel]. Lebanon has always been the pioneer in this region. When Lebanon led the region and helped to instate human rights laws, it was at the top. Once it found itself at the tail of the convoy – we saw what happened.

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“We are lying to ourselves about UN Resolution 1701. We haven’t implemented anything of this resolution.”

Interviewer: “Right.”

Salameh: “Nobody believes us anymore, Patricia. Nobody believes us.”

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Interviewer: “So you are demanding a coup against all the…”

Salameh: “Enough! These people have destroyed Lebanon. There is no active Lebanese state anymore. You need to get rid of this ruling system, and you cannot do it by means of elections, because the people are hungry and their votes can be bought.

“We need a direct American mandate. I am being very clear. The U.S. is the strongest country, so there is no point in playing games with all kinds of international forces and organizations that need a source of authority anyway. Let’s deal directly with the strongest power.”